Of Exterior Designs
by Hors D'oeuvres
Summary: Tell me, are you ready? If you are, then close your eyes and count with me. 1... 2... 3... choose!


Author's Notes: Warning! This will be a very long author's notes. Why? Because this is the only location I can place my "significant" ramblings before letting all of you read the story.

First of all, this is my (drum-roll please) fourth attempt at writing an Avatar: the Last Airbender fanfic, and I can honestly say that this one will be very different from the others. The first one I've written is "The Beautiful Monster," the second one is "Ursa Major," and the third one is "The Night Jasmine" (yes, shameless advertising).

Second, this story is different from the others because its development will be decided only by you, yes you, the readers. And I, myself, have not yet fully worked out the plot of this story in its entirety.

Third, truthfully speaking, this will not be as complex, refined or descriptive as my other works. Why? Mostly because it is my first attempt at producing such a story, and I have noticed that this is how other works (such as the "Give Yourself Goosebumps" series by R.L Stine) are written.

... Hmm, let me see.

You, the readers, will control the actions and choices of this story's main character, whose very life is in your hands, by voting for the choice that you think is best. Where will these choices be, you ask? They will be displayed at the end of each chapter (including this one), and you will vote for your favorite choice by typing out its number in a review. If there is a tie between two or more choices after the votes have been counted, this will be resolved by using a random number generating program that I have on my computer.

Once the decision has been determined, it will then be used as the premise for the next chapter. And this process will be repeated again and again until we have exhausted all the endings that I have planned behind the scenes.

And, yes, this story is written in the way that every "Choose Your Own Adventure" book is written, the so-called 2nd person point of view. I have absolutely no experience with it before, and I only hope that you will all somehow get used to it.

Thank you very much for your time. Now, may you all read this, enjoy, fave, follow, and review!

If you want to, of course...

This chapter is dedicated, once more, to tuxjim, my dear oniisan, and mariko78, a most wonderful friend of mine.

**_And, oh yes, do not forget to vote in the poll on my profile!_**

Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

**An Avatar: The Last Airbender Adventure Tale:**

**OF EXTERIOR DESIGNS**

* * *

_Pop'n Wishin'!_

* * *

The shrill _ping_ that signals the arrival of a new text sounds loudly in your room, and you sigh softly, instinctively knowing that it is from your older sister. Carefully, you open the short message she sent you and read it.

_Are you ready? _

You roll your eyes at her predictable question before quickly moving your fingers over your phone's on-screen keypad. _Yes_, you type out, b_ut do you have to be so lazy as to resort texting when we are both in the same building? _You send her your answer and slide your phone into the right front pocket of your pants as you walk over to the door.

Opening it slowly, you take a cursory look around and, suddenly feeling a bit thirsty, begin to purposely head towards the kitchen. As you pass by the living room to get there, you inadvertently see your sister languorously laying on her favorite recliner. She soon catches sight of you as well and begins to playfully swing her legs.

"I'm not lazy," she protests right away. "I'm just doing my best to conserve my energy for our trip."

You pause in your movements, turn to face her, and shake your head.

"Really?" you ask. "We don't have to leave until mom gets here, you know."

"Whatever," she dismissively counters, rolling her eyes. "Let me look you over, okay? We need to look good today."

You let out an exaggerated sigh but do not do anything else, having already gotten used to how your sister is. You know that if you do not indulge her now, she will unabashedly harass you until she finally gets what she wants.

"Thick socks?" she bluntly inquires, pursing her lips as she keenly eyes your sturdy hiking shoes.

"Yes," you reply, having no doubts that you'll pass her analysis because she was the one who had chosen your ensemble for today, anyway. She accepts your answer with a brief nod of her head before moving her gaze up the smooth lines of your charcoal-colored, convertible nylon pants, chosen specifically to keep you safe from poison oak, ticks, and any other possibly dangerous flora and fauna.

Her eyes are now sliding up your torso, and a smirk curls her lips as she teasingly asks, "Clean underwear?" You raise your left brow slightly at her words, not even planning to dignify her question with an answer. She chuckles lightly at the expression on your face, and you tightly cross your arms over your chest like a barrier.

"Can we please just get this over with?" you firmly ask.

"Almost done," she readily counters, sharp eyes now looking at the fleece, crimson V-neck shirt you are wearing beneath your favorite outerwear, a thick, ebony, leather jacket with polyester lining and a smooth lamb and cotton zip-off hood. You stay silent as she deliberately tilts her head to the side in thought.

"You wear that jacket everywhere," she finally comments after a long moment of silence before lazily closing her eyes. "But, other than that, everything else is fantastic." Her smirk becomes even more pronounced as she literally pats herself on the back for making you look 'fantastic.' You part your lips and are about to fire off a witty retort when your thirst suddenly intensifies. You close your mouth, turn around, and quickly walk towards the kitchen. Seeing the fridge, you immediately pull its door open.

"If you're looking for a Pop'n Soda, I drank the last one!"

You hear your sister's loud words come from the living room, but still choose to peer deeper into the fridge. The familiar curvy outline of a soda bottle catches your gaze, and you neatly grab it from behind a large jar of grape jelly your mom loves. As you close the fridge, the cool condensation on the bottle's blank sides moistens your palm, and you ignore the fact that it does not have a label, assuming that it is just another of your sister's many tricks to ensure that she will be the one to have it.

"Found something," you smugly tell her as you walk out of the kitchen and deftly open the bottle, not noticing the dark liquid inside it bubbling excitedly.

"_Lucky you_," she sarcastically replies, finally standing up. "Anyway, mom texted, she'll be home soon. So you better make sure that all your stuff for the weekend is ready, okay? Auntie's cabin in Eden isn't exactly paradise."

You curtly nod your head in reply and start to walk back to your room. As you do so, you unintentionally notice that there is a short engraving on the top of the bottle's cover. Curious, you start to read it.

_What do you wish for?_

This short question promptly causes you to become thoughtful as you enter your room. Suddenly not feeling as thirsty as you were a few minutes before, you place the bottle and its cover on your desk and deftly pick your packed bag up from your bed. Weighing it in your hands, you silently appreciate the fact that it is made of the finest grade of top grain leather, a very thick and durable material that is also surprisingly lightweight.

You carefully swing the bag on your back and tighten its heavy-duty shoulder strap over your chest. Shrugging once to help it settle firmly, your attention is caught by a sheaf of blank papers on your desk. A sigh escapes your lips as you pinch the bridge of your nose with your right hand. Those papers are already supposed to contain a very long and detailed Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfiction set in an alternate universe, but, for the past hour, you have been unable to write even just a single sentence. This is due to the fact that your mind and fingers have been very uncooperative with each other, preventing the development of the plot that you have barely worked out at all.

The emptiness in those papers now seems agonizingly evident to you, and, to distract yourself, you avert your gaze and deliberately reclaim the still-cold bottle on your desk. You pensively rub your thumb against the smooth curve of its neck and raise it, as if celebrating a toast.

"I wish that I can go into the world of my ATLA fanfic, so I can really know what I am writing about," you then determinedly murmur before taking a swift drink from its unexpectedly icy lips, the cold liquid inside it quickly flooding into your mouth. Surprised, you instinctively tighten your grip around the bottle and try to stop yourself from drinking, but your jaw- _your entire body_- seems to have frozen. And you can't move, can't choke―

You cannot do anything but drink, and it seems so…

_Endless. _

More and more and more, until you are so overwhelmed that it already feels like you are drowning- deeper and deeper. Until your eyes _finally_ allowed to close…

And you are finally allowed to sleep.

* * *

_Where am I? _

You immediately ask yourself as you sit up from the mossy ground that you have just been lying unconsciously on and, still a bit groggy, warily look around. A small frown quickly takes over your lips when you see the many trees surrounding you, their leafy branches barely allowing light to pass through. You exhale deeply and try to remain calm before carefully standing up and checking the time on your wristwatch.

"2 o'clock," you then mutter beneath your breath, learning that you have been unconscious for at least two hours already. Or so your watch says.

You swallow thickly and wrap your hands tightly around the shoulder strap of your bag, glad that it is still with you, and squeeze it once. _It must have been the bottle_, your mind suddenly concludes as you look around again and see that there is absolutely nothing familiar about this place. _It must have been the bottle, its cover, and the wish you made. _

This thought does absolutely nothing to comfort you, and you deliberately draw in a long and calming breath. Closing your eyes, you tell yourself to think clearly, knowing that you must do something- _anything _soon- to keep you from going into hysterics.

* Do you choose to pace back and forth, staying where you are, as you wait for help to arrive?

* Do you choose to wander around, not wanting to feel helpless?

* Do you go for the direct approach and shout loudly for anyone to help you?

* * *

Author's Notes: As you all can see, there are three choices above this Author's Notes. To vote for the first one (waiting for help), type "1" in your review, to vote for the second one (wandering around), type "2" in your review, and to vote for the third one (shouting for help), type "3" in your review. Thank you very much for your input!

Anyway, like it? Love it? Comments? Suggestions? Violent reactions? Questions? Let me know! Just type in the little box below and click the little button.

**Reviews are greatly encouraged and appreciated. Signed or Anonymous.**

P.S. Please check out and vote in the poll on my profile.

H.O.D.


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